Biochar Available Wholesale and Retail
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josiah hunt
Dec 10, 2009, 2:00:48 PM12/10/09
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Hello Biochar Group,
I now have biochar available wholesale by the yard and in Hilo area retail stores in cubic foot bags. Garden Exchange, Rozette's Nursery, and more to come are carrying cubic foot bags of 1/2" minus, 1/2" - 3/4" clean, and 1/2" minus inoculated with a compost tea containing beneficial indigenous microorganisms. Wholesale must be at least one yard and can be made to specific orders such as; inoculated or not, ground to 1/2" minus or left chunky (~2" minus), etc. Prices at retail are approximately $22.50 per cubic foot for 1/2" minus. Wholesale prices are $300 per yard for 2" minus and $350 per yard for 1/2 " minus, inoculation by compost tea is an extra $20 per yard cost. Wholesale orders for other islands can be delivered via Young Brothers Shipping in one yard "super-sacks". Orders outside of Hawaii are not welcome.
For lack of of affordable and available technology, I am currently using a very simple technique for production. The technique I have been using is basically a hybrid of a bonfire and a traditional charcoal pit method in which the biochar is pyrolyzed at a high temperature (basically a well managed bonfire) then smothered and "baked" for at least 5 days. I have tried to get temperature readings from the bonfire stage without much luck yet. During the baking period I have measured temperatures between 400F and 700F throughout the five day baking period.
Samples of biochar produced in this fashion were analyzed for eCEC by CTAHR using ammonium adsorption. Results came back as: eCEC of 95 meq/100g for a plain biochar and 156 meq/100g for a composted biochar (of which 1/2 of the sample analyzed was compost). I am currently awaiting results from analysis by Hugh McLaughlin (co-authored a recently published article "All Biochars are Not Created Equal").
I initially began making my own biochar in this fashion for personal research and experimentation. More than a year later and still unable to find much commercially available biochar or production units, I am still "in the pits". However, with the help of a wise engineer by the name of Robert (Bob) Ely, I plan on stepping up the production process to a large retort type system. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
- Josiah Shelton Hunt
Landscape Ecology
808 936-3484
www.landscapeecology-hawaii.com
I now have biochar available wholesale by the yard and in Hilo area retail stores in cubic foot bags. Garden Exchange, Rozette's Nursery, and more to come are carrying cubic foot bags of 1/2" minus, 1/2" - 3/4" clean, and 1/2" minus inoculated with a compost tea containing beneficial indigenous microorganisms. Wholesale must be at least one yard and can be made to specific orders such as; inoculated or not, ground to 1/2" minus or left chunky (~2" minus), etc. Prices at retail are approximately $22.50 per cubic foot for 1/2" minus. Wholesale prices are $300 per yard for 2" minus and $350 per yard for 1/2 " minus, inoculation by compost tea is an extra $20 per yard cost. Wholesale orders for other islands can be delivered via Young Brothers Shipping in one yard "super-sacks". Orders outside of Hawaii are not welcome.
For lack of of affordable and available technology, I am currently using a very simple technique for production. The technique I have been using is basically a hybrid of a bonfire and a traditional charcoal pit method in which the biochar is pyrolyzed at a high temperature (basically a well managed bonfire) then smothered and "baked" for at least 5 days. I have tried to get temperature readings from the bonfire stage without much luck yet. During the baking period I have measured temperatures between 400F and 700F throughout the five day baking period.
Samples of biochar produced in this fashion were analyzed for eCEC by CTAHR using ammonium adsorption. Results came back as: eCEC of 95 meq/100g for a plain biochar and 156 meq/100g for a composted biochar (of which 1/2 of the sample analyzed was compost). I am currently awaiting results from analysis by Hugh McLaughlin (co-authored a recently published article "All Biochars are Not Created Equal").
I initially began making my own biochar in this fashion for personal research and experimentation. More than a year later and still unable to find much commercially available biochar or production units, I am still "in the pits". However, with the help of a wise engineer by the name of Robert (Bob) Ely, I plan on stepping up the production process to a large retort type system. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
- Josiah Shelton Hunt
Landscape Ecology
808 936-3484
www.landscapeecology-hawaii.com
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